Loan and guarantee agreements worth pound 81.9 million (about TND 276.14 million) to finance the Treated Wastewater Quality Improvement Project For Climate Resilience Building (PAQEE-RCC), were signed on Wednesday between Tunisia and the African Development Bank (AfDB). The PAQEE-RCC will contribute to the production of treated wastewater that complies with standards, thanks to tertiary treatment. Among other things, the project will help irrigate 3,000 hectares of farmland, improve the living conditions of more than 670,000 citizens in the 11 governorates and create 250 direct jobs and 1,000 indirect jobs. The project focuses notably on the renewal of electromechanical equipment and the use of photovoltaic energy in 19 water treatment plants in the 11 targeted governorates, namely Nabeul, Zagouan, Béja, Jendouba, Kasserine, Sidi Bouzid, Sfax, Gafsa, Tozeur, Kébili and Médenine. The goal is to help improve the water balance, build resilience to climate change and improve living conditions, said Minister of Economy and Planning Féryel Ouerghi. The PAQEE-RCC project is of "a particular importance" in terms of inclusive and sustainable investments, targeting the mobilisation of a non-conventional resource for agriculture that is not dependent on climatic hazards in a context of drought and scarcity of water resources, and the cutting of energy bills through the use of solar energy, she explained. The project, she added, is part of a strategy to consolidate the results of the first phase of the PAQEE, funded by the AfDB and finalised in 2020. In Tunisia, only 27 out of a total of 125 wastewater treatment plants are equipped with tertiary treatment, said Environment Minister Leila Chikhaoui, adding that the ambition is to equip all these facilities with this type of treatment. She pointed out that it takes less time to rehabilitate existing plants than to build new ones. Deputy Director-General of the AfDB for the North Africa Region Malinne Blomberg pointed out for her part, that the current water situation has had a real socio-economic impact, while the reuse of treated wastewater does not exceed 10%. This project, which fits in with the circular economy, will show that the reuse of treated wastewater can help improve the water balance against climate change. The development of renewables and a cut in operating costs will also be supported by the installation of 13 photovoltaic solar energy systems in the treatment systems, with a total capacity of some 6,000 kilowatts, the official underlined. She also pointed out that the new Country Strategy Paper (CSP) covering the Bank's operations in Tunisia over the next five years (2024/2028) is now being drawn up, adding that water is one of the priority sectors in this strategy, as part of the Water-Agriculture-Energy Nexus approach. The AfDB's portfolio in Tunisia comprises 39 projects in various sectors, including transport, sanitation, energy, agriculture and industry, for a financial commitment of TND 6 billion, Blomberg said. CEO of ONAS Abdelmajid Bettaieb pointed out that the project will essentially help comply with standards for discharging treated wastewater into the receiving environment, and increase the rate of its reuse. He explained that tertiary treatment follows primary and secondary treatment. It is a technique based on the use of chemical and physical processes to remove phosphorus and nitrogen from the water and refine it. Tunisia counts 125 wastewater treatment plants that collect and treat some 290 million cubic metres of water every year, only 20% of which is reused in a number of fields, including agriculture (fodder and fruit trees), industry and tourism (golf courses) and groundwater recharge, he said. Source: Agence Tunis Afrique Presse
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